By Mark Ambrogi
Center Grove High School senior Skyler Sichting was a dancer and soccer player growing up.
“I started track and I quit both of those,” Sichting said.
Sichting started doing the hurdles in sixth grade.
“It was new, and I enjoyed it at the time,” Sichting said. “As I kept going on, I realized I was pretty good at it, so I just stuck with it. As I’ve gotten older, it’s my time to clear my mind and have nothing rushing through it whenever I compete.”
Sichting had danced for eight years and played soccer for five years.
“Being a dancer for so long gave me the flexibility to get over them,” Sichting said. “As the years have gone on, I’ve done quite a bit of training to learn the right way of actually going over a hurdle. I keep training in it.”
Sichting competes in the 60-meter hurdles during the indoor track season. She is hoping to qualify for Hoosier State Relays in Bloomington.
Sichting said 100-meter hurdles are her favorite in outdoor meets. Sichting finished 11th in the 100 hurdles in the IHSAA girls track and field state meet.
“The 300 hurdles is quite a long race,” she said.
Sichting competes in the 100 and 300 hurdles along with the 400-meter relay for the Trojans. The 400-meter relay team made it to state last season but finished last because of a mishap on the first handoff during prelims.
“At that level, you can’t make it back up again that easily,” she said. “I would love to make it back to state, this time in all three events. I would like to place higher in the state. As an overall team, we have a lot of ability. I believe we can place higher than eighth like we did last year.
She has committed to compete in track and field at IUPUI.
“Going on different visits and meeting the track coaches, I just felt it was the best fit,” she said. “They were building a new track program, so it’s a way for me to help build their program along with building my abilities, too.”
Sichting expects to run the 100 and 400 hurdles at IUPUI.
She plans to major in biology and minor in psychology.
Sichting served as a student athletic trainer for Center Grove football.
“It was very time consuming,” she said.
However, she said it was fun helping the Trojans on their way to Class 6A state championships in 2020 and 2021.
Sichting started athletic training in middle school.
“I’m looking to pursue a medical field, so that was just a good start learning how the body works and seeing all the different injuries and helping them heal,” Sichting said.
Sichting is planning on pursuing a pediatrics medical career but not certain exactly what direction she wants to take in the field.
THE SICHTING FILES
NAME: Skyler Sichting
YEAR: Senior
HEIGHT: 5-foot-3
AGE: 18
SPORT: Track and field
POSITION: Hurdles, 400-relay team
COLLEGE PLANS: Will attend IUPUI on partial track and field scholarship
FAVORITE ATHLETE: Hurdler Sydney McLaughlin
FAVORITE SUBJECT: Math
FAVORITE TV SHOW: “Grey’s Anatomy”
FAVORITE VACATION SPOT: Costa Rica
PARENTS: Heidi and Travis Sichting
